


Cold

by Classic_Rocker2000



Category: The Beatles
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26459008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Classic_Rocker2000/pseuds/Classic_Rocker2000
Summary: When all four Beatles come down with a cold just after the tour ends, Brian just tries his best to not lose his mind.
Relationships: John Lennon/Paul McCartney (implied), Past Brian Epstein/John Lennon (implied)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	Cold

**1964**

Brian Epstein had a way of knowing just how dire a situation was. Level 0 was the direst a situation could get while Level 5 was inconvenient, but nothing to panic over.

All four Beatles being sick was probably somewhere between Level 1 and Level 0.

It had started with Ringo, the poor lad, catching a cold, and within two days, George, Paul, and John were also sick. The boys were trying to carry on, bless them, but Brian knew, deep down, that the only way any of them would fully recover would be for them to get some rest for a change.

On the bright side, the tour had just ended. On the downside, the boys probably wouldn’t be fit to travel for at least a week, if not two. Until then, he was stuck in a hotel room with the four of them, doing his best to not get sick.

For now, he’d told Mal and the rest of the touring staff to stay in their rooms, that he could handle the situation as it was, and for now, the five of them were gathered in one room, doing their best with a two-bed hotel room. Of course, no one else really believed him.

“Brian, the last time something like this happened, you looked just about ready to throw yourself out of a window,” Al had pointed out.

_ Dammit, Al, why do you always have to be right?  _ Brian seethed. The last time, it had only been George, and true to form, he had almost lost his mind.

“Al, I promise, I’ll be fine. It’s only a week of not trying to get sick, right?”

“Well, that and you trying not to have an aneurysm.”

Brian actively fought the urge to roll his eyes. He was about to deliver a rebuttal when John started coughing violently. His heart ached for the poor lad and he had to force himself to stay calm. Finally, he let out a sigh and said, “Look, I promise I can take care of this.”

“Without losing your mind?”

“I can’t promise that.”

Not long after, Al hung up the phone, leaving Brian alone with four sick young men and no idea where to start. John and Paul were currently huddled together, Paul’s face buried in a kerchief, and George and Ringo were on opposite ends of the room.

In a stuffy voice, John asked, “I take it we’re not going home any time soon?”

Praying that he wouldn’t sound as if he were explaining this to a child, Brian replied, “Honestly John, I don’t think any of us should be going anywhere until the lot of you are at least somewhat recovered.”

“Ringo’s doing a bit better today than he’s been the last two days,” George said, looking like he was about to pass out any second now.

“Well, I think it’d be best if we all stayed here until this passed.”

Paul looked like he was internally dying. Not surprising considering he was the workaholic of the group. John, meanwhile, laid a comforting hand on Paul’s shoulder.

Then Ringo chimed in, admittedly sounding clearer than he had just the day before, “What about you? Aren’t you worried about getting sick?”

“I’ll be fine, Richie,” Brian replied, trying to sound assuring. Inside, he was about ten seconds away from the worst panic attack of his life. “I will, of course, be taking precautions.”

“Just… maybe not one of those full body suits?” John sniped. “I don’t think I’m that contagious.”

Brian shot John a look. After all, three of them had just gotten sick, and that was within days of Ringo first showing symptoms. “John, can we at least be sensible about this?”

John gave his manager a coy look, the kind Brian remembered well from their trip to Spain. In this instance though, Brian didn’t budge. Before he could say anything, Paul looked John right in the eye, and doing his best to put a smile on his face, said, “John, don’t be a gobshite. We’ll get through this all the same. Alright?”

John looked disappointed, but eventually nodded his head in agreement.

Meanwhile, Brian felt his nerves subsiding, if only a little. He still felt thirty seconds from going crazy, but at the same time, he felt his optimism returning. After all, Ringo was slowly, and steadily improving, and with any luck, this would all be resolved in less than two weeks.

At this rate, Brian was just a little less concerned about getting sick himself (worth it if it meant getting the boys through in one piece), and more about not losing his mind before the week was through.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this fic. Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! :3


End file.
